REVIEW / Undaunted by a huge challenge

Published 4:00 am, Friday, December 9, 2005

Photo: XX

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Ami Ankilewitz rides in the sidecar as his friend Asaf raises a fist to the sky. They are accompanied by their expert Harley Davidson driver on a road trip across the country in the film "39 POUNDS OF LOVE." Ran on: 12-04-2005 less

Ami Ankilewitz rides in the sidecar as his friend Asaf raises a fist to the sky. They are accompanied by their expert Harley Davidson driver on a road trip across the country in the film "39 POUNDS OF LOVE." ... more

In his colorful and whimsical 3-D animation, Ami Ankilewitz has created an alter ego for himself: a smiling, goofy, big blue bird that soars high into the air. In real life, Ankilewitz cannot walk; in fact, his ability to move consists of being able to lift one finger on his left hand -- the finger he uses to design his artwork on a computer.

Ankilewitz, who lives in Israel and is in his mid-30s, has a rare disease, spinal muscular atrophy, that has left him severely disabled since childhood. Decades ago, a doctor told Ankilewitz's mother that her son would die by age 6.

"39 Pounds of Love," an uplifting documentary that profiles Ankilewitz, takes its title from his weight. "I think that's how much a big turkey weighs," he wryly observes.

Not a clinical or sappy story that simply makes viewers feel sorry for someone with a brutal disease, "39 Pounds" is faithful to Ankilewitz's generous spirit and lust for life. A man who has pursued his passion for art and who hangs out at Tel Aviv bars with his buddies late into the night, Ankilewitz has embraced his time on earth as much as he can. In the film, he lives up to the Harley-Davidson tattoo on his tiny arm when he fulfills a dream and rides on one of the motorcycles (in a sidecar) in the American West.

Much of "39 Pounds" is a road movie of sorts, chronicling Ankilewitz's journey across the United States in a van full of partying friends and a film crew. They travel, among other places, to Texas, where Ankilewitz was born, and meet up with his estranged brother. The trip puts Ankilewitz's health at risk -- he faints at one point as he's carried to the Grand Canyon -- but Ankilewitz is committed to continuing his odyssey.

The film also has its funny moments, as when Ankilewitz insists on tracking down the doctor who told him he wouldn't make it to age 6. "Cordova! Dr. Cordova!" Ankilewitz's posse screams with comic zeal while wandering aimlessly around suburban streets.

What inspires Ankilewitz to hit the road and tour America is his unrequited love for Christina, a charming young woman back home who does everything for him -- from helping him bathe to helping him drink booze through a straw. When she gently lifts Ankilewitz out of a bathtub, she's like a mother cradling an infant. He falls for Christina, but she only wants a friendship.

Ankilewitz expresses his longing for his caretaker in his wonderful animation, which shows his lovebird wooing a pretty companion. As the artist explains in his soft voice, which is often amplified by a microphone (a friend teases him for being like Madonna): "Animation makes me feel free."

It might have been interesting to see exactly how Ankilewitz creates his artwork, but the film, which runs only 70 minutes, doesn't get into that. Also, some of the documentary's corny music cheapens the images. That aside, "39 Pounds of Love" is a heartfelt testament to one man's remarkable will to live -- even as he confronts death without self-pity or sentimentality. "Death," he says, "is something that happens."